The violin on which Rachel plays is known as the “ex-Bazzini ex-Soldat.” It was made in 1742 by Joseph Guarneri “del Gesu.” It is on lifetime loan to her by an anonymous patron.

Guarneri and Stradivari are considered to be the two greatest violin makers of all time. “Del Gesu” violins have been the preferred instruments of many famous violinists including Paganini, Ysaye, Kreisler, Heifetz, Stern, and Zukerman. Many of these violins have special histories, and this instrument is no exception.

In both art and life, violinist Rachel Barton Pine has an extraordinary ability to connect with people. Celebrated as a leading interpreter of great classical and contemporary works, her performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research. She plays with passion and conviction across an extensive repertoire, thrilling audiences with her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and infectious joy in music-making.

“An exciting, boundary-defying performer – Pine displays a power and confidence that puts her in the top echelon.”

– The Washington Post

“Striking and charismatic…she demonstrated a bravura technique and soulful musicianship”

Press Quotes

Pine is superb in both concertos [Beethoven & Clement], combining a sensitive understanding of contemporary performance practice with flawless technique and glorious tone; she also wrote the excellent cadenzas.

The Whole Note

Pine is a class-act with steady tone and an aptitude for dynamic variation. She achieves this without disturbing the even production of her silver thread which has a very agreeable viola-accented sepia overtone. Her con slancio death-defying double-stopping in III is done with every appearance of ease. It sounds terrifying yet is totally fluent and utterly and intricately secure like a divine music-box – not machine-like. Her tone is not platinum bleached but instead is fragrant with conifer resin.

Arkiv Music on Glazunov Violin Concerto and Meditation

The excellent soloists here all deliver everything they can - particularly Rachel Barton Pine in the winsome Violin Concerto and the short Meditation

Classic FM on Glazunov Violin Concerto and Meditation

A greatly gifted young violinist…her sound was rich and commanding.

The New York Times

Rachel Barton Pine really may be the most charismatic, the most virtuosic, and the most compelling American violinist of her generation.

All Music Guide

Barton has everything required -- a big burnished tone; the brilliance, agility and precision of a bel canto diva. Above all, she has the knack for reaching out to an audience and holding them at awed attention in a manner all her own.

Chicago Tribune

For violinist Rachel Barton Pine, being sensational is normal - she’s arguably one of the greatest violinists performing today. Paganini couldn’t have played it better.

The Gazette (Colorado Springs)

Few can play as beautifully as Barton … the commanding ease at which she applied fingers and horsehair to the breathless roulades and passage work was enough to put the crowd in her thrall, as if they weren't fans already.

Chicago Tribune

The collection starts with the Violin Concerto, beautifully played by Rachel Barton Pine, with the Russian National Orchestra playing with fine clarity and attack. The purity of Pine's playing in stratospheric regions is a delight and the galloping rhythms of the finale are infectiously exhilarating...

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 1st movement

Rachel Barton Pine performs the first movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Maestro David Handel and the Moscow City Symphony “Russian Philharmonic” in Moscow, March 2, 2011.

Ravel Violin Sonata 2nd and 3rd movements

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine and pianist Matthew Hagle perform the second and third movements of Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata for the Ladies’ Morning Musical Club Concerts in Montreal, February 27, 2011.

Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5, 2nd movement

Rachel Barton Pine performs the second movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, KV219, with Maestro Ron Spigelman and the Springfield Symphony of Missouri, February 5, 2011.

On Wednesday, July 13, 2016 Rachel will be returning to Millennium Park to perform Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Michal Nesterowicz. Lawn seating is free. Pavilion seats start at $25. To celebrate, Rachel will be holding daily contests on her different social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, and … Read More »

Best-selling violinist Rachel Barton Pine’s relationship with the music of Bach runs deep. She first heard and fell in love with Bach’s music in her hometown St. Paul’s Church in Chicago, which had a stained glass window of the composer in the sanctuary. That church is where Rachel first played Bach’s music, at the age ... Read More »

In celebration on Mozart’s birthday on January 27 and Sir Neville Marriner’s 90th year, Billboard chart-topping violinist Rachel Barton Pine performs the five Mozart Violin Concertos, as well as the Sinfonia Concertante, with the Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Programs & Projects

Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz previously wrote a violin sonata inspired by the Arab Spring for Rachel Barton Pine and has now written a large-scale violin concerto for her. The work premiered with the Alabama Symphony under the direction of Fawzi Haimor and is generally available in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

Rachel Barton Pine joins pianist Simone Dinnerstein in recital during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season. The duo will perform a program built around Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata, along with repertoire by Bach, Bartok, and Philip Lasser.

Hailed as the zenith of solo violin repertoire, Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas are divided between back-to-back programs that are performed and interspersed with works by composers who lived just before Bach and influenced his compositions.